Pillen nominates Ricketts for the US Senate seat that was vacated in this election by Sasse

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — In one of his first acts as Nebraska’s governor, Republican Jim Pillen on Thursday named to the state’s vacant U.S. Senate seat the former governor who helped him get elected.

Pillen named fellow Republican Pete Ricketts as the new seat, which was vacated by Ben Sasse on Sunday. It was no surprise to anyone.

According to the governor, 111 people applied for vacant seats.

“I don’t believe in placeholders. Every day is important to me. … placeholders don’t have any accountability to the people,” Pillen said.

The appointment was made even after some fellow Republicans expressed reservations about Pillen selecting his benefactor.

Pillen was elected in November in large part because of Ricketts’ backing, which included more than $100,000 of his own money contributed directly to Pillen’s campaign. Ricketts also gave nearly $1.3 million this year to the political action committee Conservative Nebraska, which ran a slew of attack ads against Pillen’s primary opponents, including the Trump-backed candidate, Charles Herbster.

Ricketts will serve two years before a special election is held in 2024 to finish out the last two years of Sasse’s term. To complete his six-year term, Ricketts would need to be reelected in 2026.

Sasse announced last fall Two years into his second six year term, he will be leaving the Senate a job as president of the University of Florida.

Ricketts assumes his new role as one the wealthiest senators in the chamber. He is well-known for using this wealth to support conservative causes and candidates. Ricketts estimated his net worth to be around $50 million in 2018, when he ran for the second term of governor.